How Could You Believe Me*

Words & Music by Alan Jay Lerner & Burton Lane
Recorded by Fred Astaire, 1933

C         Am      C      Am     C       Am
How could you believe me when I said "I Love You"

         D7        Am7    D7   Am7     D7
When you know I've been a liar all my life?

     G7      Gdim  G7        Gdim      G7
I've had that reputation since I was a youth --

    C         C/B    Am7      Am7/G    D7   Dm7       G7
You must have been insane to think I'd ever tell the truth.

C         Am      C       Am     C        Am
How could you believe me when I said we'd marry,

         D7        Am7    D7           Am7     D7
When you know I'd rather die than that have a wife?

C              Bm7-5          E7
I know I said, "I'll make you mine,"

    Am        Am+7      Am7      Am6      Em  B7   G7
But who would know that you would go for that old line?

C         Am      C      Am     D7        
How could you believe me when I said "I Love You"

          C         Am    C       Fm                D7     
When you know I've been a liar, a good for nothing liar,

        C   Am  Dm7    G7   C
All my good for noth - in' life?



Bridge:

           F        C7         F                 C7       F
Girl:  You said I'd have ev'rything, a beautiful diamond ring,

   Bb             Bbm
A bungalow by the sea...

             F               D7
Boy:  You're really naïve to ever believe

  Gm7             C7          F
A full-of-baloney phoney like me.


            C    Am      C        Am      C  Am
Girl: Say, how about the time you went to Indiana?

           D7    Am7     D7    Am7  D7
Boy: I was lyin', I was down in Alabam!

           G7      Gdim     G7          Gdim        G7
Girl: You said you had some bus'ness you had to complete.

          C    C/B   Am7     Am7/G D7        G7
Boy: What I was doin' I would be a cad to repeat.

      C     Am      C        Am       C          Am
Girl: How about the evenings you were with your mother?

           D7       Am7  D7     Am7    D7
Boy: I was rompin' with another honey lamb.

      C                  Bm7-5          E7
Girl: To think, you swore our love was real!

         Am    Am+7    Am7    Am6      Em B7  G7
Boy: But, Baby, let us not forget that I'm a heel!

C         Am      C      Am      D7
How could you believe me when I said I love you,

C         Am    C       Fm                D7     
When you know I've been a liar, a good for nothing liar,

        C   Am  Dm7    G7   C
All my good for noth - in' life?


           C        Am      C      Am     C         Am
Girl: And how could you believe me when I said, "I love you"

          D7        Am7    D7  Am7     D7
When you know I've been a liar all my life?

      G7     Gdim  G7        Gdim      G7
I've had that reputation since I was a youth --

     C         C/B   Am7     Am7/G     D7   Dm7       G7
You must have been insane to think I'd ever tell the truth.

     C        Am     C        Am     C        Am
And how could you believe me when I said we'd marry,

         D7        Am7    D7       Am7   D7
When you know I'd rather hang than be a wife?

C              Bm7-5          E7
I know I said, "I'll make you mine" --

     Am      Am+7      Am7       Am6       Em   B7   G7
But, honey, you're so young, and that's an old, old line.

C         Am      C      Am     D7
How could you believe me when I said "I Love You"

C         Am    C       Fm                D7     
When you know I've been a liar, a good for nothing liar,

        C   Am  Dm7    G7   C
All my good for noth - in' life?


*Okay, many "inaccuracies" here. First, the full title is "How Could You Believe Me When I Said I Love You When You Know I've Been A Liar All My Life." Second, my second part here has little or nothing to do with the original -- it's a parody I've heard performed for many years by a fellow piano bar fan, but I like it so much that I think it deserves inclusion.


 
The lyric and guitar chord transcriptions on this site are the work of The Guitarguy and are intended for private study, research, or educational purposes only. Individual transcriptions are inspired by and and based upon the recorded versions cited, but are not necessarily exact replications of those recorded versions.